And with their 31-17 victory over the Swift Current Colts on Saturday in Yorkton, the Raiders are once again Saskatchewan Rural Football League champions.
Quarterback Connor Watrych scored a pair of one-yard touchdowns and Val Declines ran 17 times for 165 yards as the Raiders built a 14-0 lead at half and held off a spirited third-quarter comeback by the Colts before pulling away in the final frame.
Yorkton’s edge at the break was cut into by Rhett Vavra with a five-yard TD catch before a two-point convert closed the score to 14-8. A rouge later in the quarter closed the score to 14-9 through three frames.
Watrych restored the two-score lead in the fourth, though, and a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown by Brad Heskin sealed the deal once and for all.
Austin Stewart added a 22-yard field goal in the final quarter, while Noah Bymak had Yorkton’s other major on an eight-yard run in the second quarter.
Karter Duclos scored the Colts’ final touchdown on a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The contest also acted as a provincial semifinal, with Saskatoon 5A 12-man champion Bishop Mahoney taking a 14-2 win over Regina champion Balgonie Greenall in the other semi on Saturday.
Yorkton will host Bishop Mahoney in the provincial final on Saturday, Nov. 9.
